They look to me like they are cherry with some kind of stain...maybe consider stripping them instead of painting. I have natural cherry cabinets so I'm kinda on your contractor's side on this one!

Gotta agree with the contractor. Those are to pretty to cover with any paint Stripping wood that has a dark stain is an exercise in frustration after a massive amount of work. It really isn't doable to sand them back to unstained wood and start over.

Add extra lighting in the kitchen, including under cabinet, and use them as is.

Those cabinets are lovely. I'd hate to see them painted (and I'm someone with painted cabinets.)

I don't like dark wood either but they sure are pretty cabs. I like the idea of really lighting up the space. Maybe you can use lighter finishes; light counters, backsplash, flooring and paint?

Could you sell them and buy what you want for the space? I love a painted cabinet kitchen, but even I wouldn't paint those.

I am all for painting them if that is what you want to do, especially since you are already recycling them! I am putting in a new kitchen with white cabinets and have some cabinets in our laundry room which are unstained wood (not cherry, but not sure what they are). We want them to match, so we made a deal with our cabinet maker that he is going to take them back to his paint shop. There they will sand and paint them. He is only charging $300 for this, but I would say that is mostly because we are doing a bigger job with him. This also helps me because I want to have the floors done so that will occur while the cabinets are out at the shop. I should note that our contractor already took a door to test whether it would work and found that it should be easy.

PS- I am about to tear out a kitchen in the DC area with nice but dark cabinets and granite. They should be hitting Craigslist in the next few days.

Thanks,

Austin

Maybe you could paint just a few of them (e.g. the uppers only) to lighten things up? Otherwise, I agree with others that you could try stripping them down to natural cherry, which should be a good deal lighter. Plus it makes the beautiful grain in the cherry show up better.

I want you to do what you want, but have you seen dark cabs with marble counters? Soooooo beautiful!

What about mixing the stained and white like the kitchen above? The glass doors really lighten the dark uppers as well.

What Amber said! That kitchen is pretty!!

Maybe brushed nickel pulls/handles would also change the look of the cabinet - like in the kitchen above.

Hey Austin B, I am looking for some cabinets and countertops for a small rowhouse renovation in DC. I might be interested in yours!

Sorry, guys. I obviously overlooked a couple of important facts:

First, the target kitchen is 10' 11' by 11' 9". It has one window, which looks east over the garden and is the established sink position, and one glass door, which which faces south. The darkness of the floor and the darkness of the cabinets as they are now would make it look like an elegant mausoleum., no matter how good the installed lighting.

Second, I am pretty sure that the Forklift cabinets are what remained after their original owner or someone else decided which cabinets could reused in another space. The motley selection I bought, as measured by me, is:

Wall

• 24 x 24 square corner x 33, with lazy susan

• corner angled 24 x24 x33

• 12 x 33

• 36 x 11

• double door glass 20 x 33

• double door 27 x 33

• double door 45 x 33

Base

• Two33 x 84 pantries

• 21 inch drawer over door, right hinge

• 24 inch drawer over door, right hinge

• 45 inch double drawer over door

• L-shaped corner, lazy susan, 24 inch face, 45 inch total

• 36 inch sink base drawer over door

• 18 inch rolling trash

I cannot imagine another kitchen to which they could be adapted, but they have to be made much lighter to work in the rowhouse kitchen.

Here are some examples of how painted cabinets might work, although all of the kitchens shown are larger, taller, and/or provided with better natural light.

I have a layout that works, and may even be able to enlarge the window over the back garden. I have a contractor who admits when pressed that the cherry would not work and is ready to begin prep work on the cabinets if I can say what kind of paint is anticipated.

Painting elderly cherry cabinets, however nice, is not apostasy, and I don't think anyone's soul will be put in jeopardy by throwing me some crumbs of guidance.

Cheers and thanks.

hattysue

Paint 'em. Although I don't know what your color scheme is (yellow!!). I'd do a solid clean look, not a transparent sort of thing. Check the paint forum for advice on particular paints (if your contractor doesn't know what to use, he might be the wrong guy for the job).

Another option is to pop out the center panels and replace them with glass. Paint the interiors only a bright color (if they are dark).

Painting that would be a mortal sin, and your contractor is right. It'd be like turning a Frank Lloyd Wright home into a Mcdonalds. Either use as is or give it someone who will.

I believe I've seen BM Satin Impervo as being the "best" several times.. I may have read they stopped making it though. If painting I would seriously considering hiring a pro. Everyone is suggesting not to paint for more than just asthetics - durable paint finishes are due to a process that usually isn't available on site-finished cabinets.. So you might be a bit disappointed. Plus.... Those are beautiful cabs! ;)

What color are you thinking, and what counter material?

Can you put a skylight in the kitchen? You bought them because they were beautiful cherry cabinets. You will not like them painted. Maybe they should wait for another kitchen?

I think the problem, as others have identified, is that you just can't get as durable of a paint finish as the already existing stain. I painted existing cabinets in our first house (old builder grade oak) and followed all the steps on the paint forum here. It turned out okay, but I had chips within a year or two. And it was a LOT of work, even for our tiny kitchen. It was worth it in my case IMO because what I had to start with was ugly and the finish was in bad shape.

As far as paint choice goes, I suggest checking out Benjamin Moore advance. (It's newish and wasn't around when I painted our first kitchen cabinets, but I have used it on a dresser and my gc used it on some existing original built ins. It's a very pretty finish and supposed to be durable I found it difficult to work with though--short open time, long cure time.)

If your guy doesn't already know how to do this and have products to suggest, I'd be concerned. Or perhaps he is setting the stage for it to be your responsibility if the paint job fails in a couple of years. . . . .

There are lots of threads covering how to paint cabinets if you do a quick search. Many folks suggest BM products. I have a local SW store that I love. I can go in there with any question and come out with exactly what I need to get the job done. They are also great at suggesting paint colors. Perhaps If you have a local BM or SW you can bring in a door and they can tell you the best products/procedure to use on your cabinets.

It seems people have mixed reviews on how durable DYI painted cabs are. I like a painted cabinets with or without brush strokes.

Lovely wood. I would paint some and leave some unpainted to get the "unfitted" look that old kitchens had.

If you had one set of uppers and lowers left natural they would look a lot like a hutch. OR, paint the uppers creamy to open out the space and have dark lowers and a plain countertop.

The cherry is too dark to do a "wash" - it would just look dirty

Authentic milk paint is REALLY tough - the kind you mix up from powder pigments - and comes in great colors.

http://www.milkpaint.com/color.html

The imitation Pinterest DIY chalk paints aren't worth the waste of paint.

It's your kitchen. If you want to keep these cabinets and really need something lighter, then go ahead and paint them. I love the photo Amber posted, but the reflection in the glass suggests a large expanse of windows on the opposite wall. That kitchen is flooded with light and it sounds like yours isn't. My kitchen is slightly smaller than yours (10x10) and even though it's got wonderful light, I would hate to be surrounded by dark wood, no matter how lovely, in such a small space.

I assume you didn't pay a fortune for your cabinets. I don't think I'd personally take on painting them myself, although some posters here have done so with beautiful results. It's very time-consuming work to do it right. Maybe you have the time for it. I'd go with an ivory. Gray cabinets make me a little blue.

We had really good results with BM Advance. There was a bit of a learning curve and it took for-flipping-ever to fully cure. But I think it was worth it. The finish is really durable and cleans up nicely. Though I'm not sure they offer it in any kind of matte finish. I believe it's just satin and semi-gloss.

The darkness of the floor and the darkness of the cabinets as they are now would make it look like an elegant mausoleum.

Painting cherry is a mortal sin.

Change the floor. Or add a solar tube. Or more lighting. Light colored runners on the floor.

I wholeheartedly agree that if you want to paint your cherry cabinets, go for it! The "however's" are being put forth so you know what you might be getting into. Earlier this year, we contemplated having our maple cabinets painted as opposed to purchasing all new cabinets. Three different companies (from painters to remodelers to cabinet refinishers) provided on-site estimates. In every instance, we were told that for the time and effort it would take to do a proper job, expense-wise we were very close to the cost of purchasing new cabinets.

I sensed hesitancy from all of them (reminds me of the resistance your GC gave you), so I wonder if this wasn't their collective way of saying either: 1) Given the time they'd have to devote to this job, they wouldn't make much money off the project, or 2) They didn't feel confident they could provide the near-factory finish (read: durable) results I was seeking. Telling me how expensive it would be might've been their way of steering me clear of having cabinets painted with less than satisfactory results (which would have made them look bad).

My concern is that your GC is balking and basically saying, "We'll do it how you want us to do it." Therefore, if results are less than optimal, it's all on you. He's absolving himself of the responsibility if anything goes south -- and there's so much room for interpretation regarding what 'south' is.

Is it possible for him to do a test piece, esp if you're up for a two-tone kitchen (per Amber's pic)? Good luck!

I think General Finishes milk paint is different from "normal" milk paint. I'd try to research that a bit more.

Recent thread on milk paint http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3485219/cabinet-paint-rave?n=14